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The 2 5 t h Annive rsa ry 2001 • 2026

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Olean, N.Y.

September 11, 2001

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Remembering 9/11

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Where were you on Sept. 11, 2001?

Area residents recall that terrible day

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the shocking and tragic events that happened on Sept. 11, 2001. Throughout our shared history, there are moments that stand out as vivid markers, moments when time seems to stand still while we hug ourselves and our loved ones as we seek answers about what is unfolding before our eyes. Twenty-five years ago at 8:45 a.m. on a Tuesday morning — Sept. 11 — it seemed like any other ordinary weekday. But then a Boeing 767 filled with jet fuel crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Eighteen minutes later, a second plane struck the south tower. A third plane struck the west side of the Pentagon at 9:45 a.m. A fourth plane, hijacked like the other three by terrorists, went down in a field after a brave group of passengers overtook the hijackers and averted more tragedy, paying the highest cost. In all, nearly 3,000 died as a result of the terrorist attacks, the worst to ever happen on U.S. soil. Now that 25 years have passed, the youngest of us were not yet born, although the echo of that fateful day has never been silenced and its reverberations are felt by all. We asked area residents to share their recollections of that fateful day. NumerOlean Times Herald • The Bradford Era

Associated Press file photo A woman in Brooklyn reacts to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the World Trade Center towers.

ous readers of the Olean Times Herald and The Bradford Era responded, many providing poignant narratives of what they witnessed and felt on Sept. 11, 2001.

Kim Conner of Olean

My second son was just 11 days old on Sept. 11, 2001. My mother called to see if I was watching the TV — did I know what was happening? I became briefly frantic wanting to put the baby in the car and race to my firstborn son’s school where he was a week into kindergarten. My husband talked me out of it, although I desperately wanted everyone home together, safe. I just sat, helplessly watching the horror, stunned and crying, wondering what kind of world I had just brought this baby into. In the days that fol-

lowed, however, there were inspiring stories of strangers hugging and consoling one another. Coverage showing lines of people wanting to help somehow, seeking to volunteer something — food, blood, time, a skill set, money. The benefit concerts and stories of the deceased. Our country held each other up. We were in it together.

Ron Orris of Bradford

I was the store manager of the St. Marys Walmart on Sept. 11, 2001. When we received word that the towers had been hit, I called all of our associates together in the back room and made the announcement. We were all in shock and trying to comprehend what was happening. At that moment, one of our

Remembering 9/11

associates looked at me and said, “Ron, can we form a circle and say the Lord’s Prayer?” And that is exactly what we did. Shortly afterward, Walmart gave me instructions to send everyone home. I stayed behind with a couple of managers, and we ran the registers for the few people who came into the store looking for supplies. More than 25 years later, I can still remember that day and that moment in the back room as though it were yesterday. It was a day I will never forget. May we always remember those we lost, the heroes who ran toward danger, and how Americans came together in the days that followed. God bless America!

LuAnn Warner-Prokos, Boca Raton, Fla.

I grew up in Portville. In 2011, I was living in Delray Beach, Florida teaching American history/government at a school in Boca Raton. On the morning of 9/11, I had been in my classroom for just part of first period and was checking myself out in the office because my husband and I and our high school-age sons would be attending a funeral for his uncle later that day. The phone

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Area residents recall started ringing and then an older gentleman ran in the front doors. The next was a blur with me, only remembering his words, the administrators running out of offices, and then me taking the man down to our seventh-grade area to pull his two twin granddaughters out of their classrooms. Students were already hearing the news and I had to keep one young lady from blurting it to the twins as we whisked them away to their grandfather’s car. I knew that the girls’ father worked in a brokerage firm in the first WTC building. They had last seen him Monday morning at their home in Florida, kissing him goodbye as they left for school before he flew to NYC. In less than an hour my two sons and I met up with my husband at a restaurant near the turnpike to get a bite before we drove to west Fort Lauderdale for the funeral. This restaurant happened to have TVs around the room. ... We, as a family, watched as one building fell, and then the other. A call came in from

one of my best friends from college. Her cousin’s husband (we knew both; and the husband’s parents lived west of Fort Lauderdale) was in the second tower. He had been on the phone with his wife, telling her that his brokerage firm was told that they could stay where they were. After hanging up the wife watched the second plane fly into his building. We all felt so badly for my husband’s aunt and his children after the funeral as we were supposed to be gathering to honor his uncle instead of all glued to TVs. Later that evening I found out that one of my sorority sisters in my class had been at the restaurant at the Towers for a nonprofit meeting. She left behind a daughter. I have visited the memorial to honor all three.

Emery Lewis of Bradford

I was at the Coudersport hospital with my dad. He was being prepped for cancer surgery. The nurse asked him if he wanted to watch TV while he patiently waited;

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he said he did. What I remember is that as soon as she turned that TV on for him it was automatically on “The Today Show” and the first tower had just been hit. My dad watched that on TV for about 15 minutes while he was waiting. I had to turn it off. It really is that blue sky that day I remember most, though. It was a pleasant, unmistakable blue sky that day. My dad went into surgery. My mom, our pastor/cousin and I stayed in a very crowded waiting area, watching horrors of the day while my dad was having cancer surgery. It was taking a while... A surgeon came out and told us dad had a stroke while lying on the table. Surgery couldn’t be done and he was not awake. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve seen that blue color of the sky since. My dad survived that day. Survived the cancer, too. But I’ve always thought that he was so upset by watching that TV that he had the stroke under some

kind of stress. I know he felt very deeply about that day because we visited the 911 memorial in Shanksville. They have a display, a quote about that day displayed on the wall. “It was a beautiful September morning with a blue sky ... just a normal day.” When my dad saw that he told me the same thing; he remembered that blue color.

Natalie Smith of Allegany

I was a freshman in college at SUNY Geneseo and happened to have an early class that day. The skies were bright blue, but on my walk home back to my dorm room there was talk that something bad had happened in New York City. I, like everyone awake on my floor, turned on their TV and left the dorm door open. Aside from the panic and horror that we all felt while watching, what I remember the most is the true fear other students had who were from

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Area residents recall ...continued from page 4

downstate and grew up in and around the city. The phone lines were jammed and most calls wouldn’t go through, which increased the stress and anxiety these other students had. One particular memory stands out when I think of my classmates who had ties to that area. A friend of mine from Long Island had recently helped his father create documents proving income so he could get a new job outside of the World Trade Center. When the gravity of the situation finally sank in, he was overcome with the thought that had he not helped his father, he would have been one of the casualties.

Linda Kemick of Bradford

The TV at CNB Bank always broadcast the news for customers to watch. As the World Trade Center was hit the customers stayed to watch. Other businesses on Main Street allowed one employee at a time to watch with us. I called my dad and suggested he turn on the TV as there was breaking news. He said, “The Weather Channel?” I said, “Not the best choice!” A young man came in to open a savings account. My first thought was: Why? The world is ending! It didn’t and he saved over the years to buy a house. As a banker, work became so much harder. Opening an account or a loan for a customer took much longer as our government added many Olean Times Herald • The Bradford Era

new documents to try to recognize possible terrorists in their early stages. It was almost impossible to initiate a banking relationship with a local doctor if his last name was Middle Eastern. We had one day of being attacked. Other countries — the Ukraine for example — are terrorized and bombed for many years. Please feel empathy for them and agree to government policies to fight evil aggression throughout the world.

Travis Baugh of Great Valley

I was CEO of a medical device company, which I co-founded in Houston, from 1994-2007. On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, I was on a plane from Houston to New York City that was scheduled to depart at 8 a.m. CDT. The purpose of my trip was to give a presentation to prospective investors at a medical conference that was sponsored by one of the large multinational investment banking firms. The location of the conference was the World Trade Center (I have forgotten which building). I had done several such presentations in the past and was looking forward to spending a couple of days in NYC. For some reason, the plane stopped on the runway just before we took off. A short time later, the pilot came on the intercom and told us that they had just been

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Remembering 9/11

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Area residents recall informed that all U.S. airspace was ordered closed and that we would be going back to the gate. A flight attendant came by and asked if the pilot had told us what happened. We told her that he hadn’t said anything and she told us that two planes had struck the World Trade Center towers. The eeriest thing is that I was supposed to go the night before but ended up changing my flight to the next morning. God was definitely watching over me that day.

Rick Atkins of Randolph

Looking back I can now remember that day very vividly, and I know it was because of the tragedy that unfolded that dark day. I was working in Falconer for a vending machine company and it was our monthly audit, so I was plugging along. I had just come back to the warehouse from my vending route, and I was unloading the truck, and I was listening to the radio. Being “stopped in my tracks” is an understatement: I remember

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Associated Press file photo Smoke billows from one of the towers of the World Trade Center as flames and debris explode from the second tower Sept. 11, 2001.

walking into the back end of my truck (I heard the announcement) and my breath was impacted and I let out a small shout/ scream and instantly tears fell down my face. My wife and I were newlyweds (had just found out we were expecting our first son in April). I was nervous about being a new dad and hoping we had enough money, nice house, “the usuals,” but I never once thought of his safety until after 9/11. What kind of a world/country are we

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going to bring a child into? Since then, we have been deep in prayer and trying to figure out the world, one step at a time. That was a dark day; so many lives were lost and so much heartache continues.

Kerri Atkins of Randolph

Like the Alan Jackson song “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” captures so perfectly, I was in a class-

Remembering 9/11

room. I had just finished a class and was settling in my chair to get some work done during my prep period when a student popped her head in and said, “Mrs. Atkins, a plane hit the tower!” I didn’t know what she was talking about but within about 10 minutes the whole school knew — and it was eerily quiet. TVs were on in the cafeteria and we all felt scared and confused. We finished the day and I remember just wanting to get home so I could hug my husband. We were newly pregnant with our first baby and we sat together on the couch, holding hands, watching the news and crying, wondering about the world our baby would soon be in. The next day the news was flooded with stories of people standing in line to give blood or help in any way that they could. I had never seen a more beautiful sky. Thankful to be alive but guilty that we were too. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that day. I

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Area residents recall ...continued from page 6

still play the “Where Were You” video for my students every year.

Aaron Gies of Olean

I was a junior in college. I remember walking into the student center between morning classes, seeing students gathered around CNN, which showed the first tower in flames. I saw the second plane hit the tower. Incredibly, we went on with morning classes, but then an assembly was called. I went to a small Presbyterian college, so after some words from the chaplain, we simply formed circles and prayed. I don’t remember what I said; I’ve never been more perplexed. Our circle was led by a Catholic history professor. He was uncomfortable improvising, so he prayed the “Our Father,” which was, in retrospect, the only thing that made sense. For me, it was the end of childhood.

Tom Zelechoski of Johnsonburg

As a college history major world events have always intrigued me throughout my life. Being someone in their 70s who has been fortunate to have witnessed several of these events all have made a lasting impression. Some of these have been uplifting. The Pirates’ 1960 World Series win on Oct. 13, a man landing on the moon on July 20, 1969, and some extremely sad — John F. Kennedy’s assassiOlean Times Herald • The Bradford Era

nation on Nov. 22, 1963. But Sept. 11, 2001, remains imprinted in my mind. I was at work and watched the devastation, destruction and loss of human life unfold on television. My son had entered the ROTC program at Penn State just three weeks prior to that date. I wondered what effect the events of that day might have on his life in the military. My daughter was in college in Western Pennsylvania and witnessed Flight 93 flying low in the sky headed for Shanksville. My daughter called me shortly thereafter and asked, “Dad, what’s going to happen next?” I didn’t have an answer and I guess no one else did either. I’ll remember that fateful day forever for it changed forever the world as we knew it. Our son was commissioned an officer in the military four years later and served deployments in both Iraq and Afghanistan. My wife and I spent many sleepless nights as a result of what happened on that day. As a member of the Air Force Reserve, I knew I’d be expecting a emergency recall phone call within hours (which happened) and we deployed to Dover Port Mortuary within a few days to assist in processing the remains of those killed from the Pentagon crash. It was the most stressful, honorable deployment in my career.

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Area residents recall

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Maxine McCann of Bradford

On the morning of 9/11 I went to our Evergreen Elm office on the eighth floor of the Hooker-Fulton Building on Main Street in Bradford, at 8 a.m., as usual. The late Dr. Gary Greer’s dental office was located across the hall. In a few minutes all of our lives, in one way or another, would change as U.S. citizens. My office door opened quite forcefully and Dr. Greer announced, “A large airplane has struck the World Trade Center in New York City.” Immediately I responded, “It has to be terrorists!” My reply came from my recollection of a public documentary I had viewed on terrorists in the Middle East, to include Osama bin Laden. Unfortunately, the office only had a radio to listen to back then. My daughter, Susan, phoned almost immediately and kept us informed as best she could from what she was seeing on the TV news. I, and several of my coworkers, could hardly wait to go home at lunch

Associated Press file photo New Yorkers, most who had been on their way to work in Manhattan, watch as smoke billows from the Twin Towers.

time and turn on our TVs. In the following days, the entire tragedy was so overwhelmingly difficult mentally to comprehend. I prayed constantly for everyone affected: World Trade Center employees, those innocent airline passengers, NYC firemen and police, Pentagon personnel, everyone who died that day and all of their families left after this horrific tragedy. Praying was all I could do for them. We were vulnerable that day as a country, which, let’s be honest, we never thought much about prior to the attack. So let’s

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take a few seconds when the opportunity arises to always thank our servicemen and women, airline TSA screeners, and all first responders for keeping us all safe. One last note: this is very difficult to recall again for all of us who lived then and watched it unfold.

Sergei Swanson of Bradford

It was to be another good day of celebration. In our younger years, Mom would remind us in subtle or not so subtle ways. Those days were gone, but

Remembering 9/11

this year I remembered early, so I called my dad the day before and we decided to leave for breakfast from their home around 9 a.m. as he was working a stretch of midnights. Morning came and I arrived to my parents’ house around 8:30 a.m. I could still hear the shower running upstairs so I sat down with a cup of coffee and turned on my parents’ TV. Within minutes the timeline of that horrific day for so many of our fellow Americans was unfolding. The upstairs bathroom door squeak was never louder as my dad opened it and I unlocked my eyes from the TV and hurried to the bottom of the stairs. As https://admin-chicago2.bloxcms.com/desktop/#/oleantimesherald. com/editorial-assetmy dad approached the top of the stairs and greeted me with a strong “good morning,” I’ll never forget looking up at him knowing he had no idea yet how his day was about to change. “Dad, I will never forget your birthday as long as I live.”

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A timeline of the morning of September 11, 2001

The attacks of September 11, 2001, shook the world and have continued to affect global politics and international relations well into the 21st century. While that impact was not on the minds of Americans in the early hours of September 11, this timeline of that fateful morning, courtesy of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, shows that it was not long after the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center that authorities recognized the United States was under attack.

• 5:45 a.m.: Two of the hijackers pass through security at Portland International Airport in Maine. The men will take a short flight to Boston Logan International Airport, where they will join three other hijackers and board American Airlines Flight 11. • 6:00 a.m: Polling stations open in New York City for primary elections.

• 7:59 a.m.: American Airlines Flight 11 takes off from Boston with 11 crew members, 76 passengers and five hijackers on board. The plane, which will eventually crash into the North Tower at the World Trade Center, is filled with more than 76,000 pounds of fuel.

• 8:15 a.m.: United Airlines Flight 175 takes off from Boston with nine crew members, 51 passengers, and five hijackers on board. This flight also is loaded with 76,000 pounds of fuel. • 8:19 a.m.: American Airlines ground personnel are alerted by flight attendant Betty Ann Ong that Flight 11 is being hijacked. This call lasts roughly 25 minutes and Ong reports that the cockpit is unreachable. In the moments before Ong’s call, one of the hijackers stabbed Daniel M. Lewin, who was sitting in front of him in first class. Lewin is likely the first person killed in the 9/11 attacks.

• 8:20 a.m.: American Airlines Flight 77 takes off from Washington Dulles International Airport. The flight has 49,900 pounds of fuel and is carrying six crew members, 53 passengers and five hijackers.

• 8:21 a.m.: The transponder on Flight 11 is turned off. This device is meant to allow air traffic controllers to identify and monitor the flight path of a plane. • 8:24 a.m.: One of the hijackers of Flight 11 unwittingly broadcasts a message to air traffic controllers alerting them to the attacks. The hijacker was attempting to communicate with passengers and crew within the cabin. • 8:30 a.m.: Around this time, roughly 80 people have already begun gathering on the 106th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center for a financial technology conference. The conference is one of many events on the Trade Center schedule that day.

• 8:37 a.m.: The Boston Air Traffic Control Center alerts the military that a hijacking is under way. • 8:42 a.m.: United Airlines Flight 93 takes off from Newark International Airport. The flight was due to take off at roughly the same time as the other hijacked planes, but was

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delayed due to routine traffic. Seven crew members, 33 passengers and four hijackers are on board. The flight is filled with 48,700 pounds of fuel.

• 8:46 a.m.: Five hijackers crash Flight 11 into floors 93 through 99 of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Hundreds, including everyone on board the flight, are killed instantly. The crash severs all three emergency stairwells, trapping hundreds of people above the 91st floor.

the order to include all civilians in the entire World Trade Center complex.

• 9:02 a.m.: An evacuation order is broadcast in the South Tower.

• 8:46 a.m.: Police, paramedics and firefighters are sent to the North Tower.

• 9:03 a.m.: Five hijackers crash Flight 175 into floors 77 through 85 of the South Tower. All onboard the flight are killed, as are an unknown number of people inside the building. Two of the three emergency stairwells are impassable and most elevator cables are severed, trapping many people above the impact zone and inside elevator cars.

• 8:52 a.m.: A flight attendant aboard Flight 175 reaches a United Airlines operator in San Francisco and reports the flight is being hijacked. By 9 a.m., various passengers on Flight 175 have called family members.

• 9:05 a.m.: President Bush is informed that a second plane has crashed into the World Trade Center.

• 8:50 a.m.: While visiting an elementary school in Florida, U.S. President George W. Bush is notified that a small plane has hit the North Tower.

• 8:55 a.m.: The Port Authority informs people inside the South Tower via a public address system that the building is secure and there is no need to evacuate.

• 8:59 a.m.: The Port Authority Police Department orders both towers evacuated. One minute later, Captain Anthony Whitaker expands

Remembering 9/11

• 9:03 a.m.: A second call for mobilization brings the total number of New York City Police Department officers responding to the scene to roughly 2,000. In addition, the FDNY issues a fifth alarm and deploys several hundred additional firefighters to the scene.

• 9:12 a.m.: Flight attendant Renée A. May calls her mother and tells her that hijackers have seized control of Flight 77. When May’s call is disconnected, she calls American Airlines.

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Olean Times Herald • The Bradford Era

Timeline

...continued from page 10 • 9:30 a.m.: Amidst reports of additional hijacked planes, the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management at 7 World Trade Center is evacuated.

• 9:37 a.m.: Hijackers crash Flight 77 into the Pentagon. All 53 passengers and six crew members perish, and 125 military and civilian personnel on the ground are killed in the fire caused by the crash. • 9:42 a.m.: The Federal Aviation Administration grounds all flights, ordering all civilian planes in United States airspace to land. Departures also are prohibited. • 9:45 a.m.: Evacuations at the White House and the U.S. Capitol begin. Both the House of Representatives and Senate are in session at the time the evacuation begins. • 9:58 a.m.: Flight 93 is flying so low to the ground that passenger Edward P. Felt is able to reach an emergency 911 operator in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

• 9:59 a.m.: The South Tower collapses after burning for 56 minutes. The tower collapses in just 10 seconds.

• 9:59 a.m.: Continuity-ofgovernment procedures are implemented for the first known time in American history.

• 10:03 a.m.: Four hijackers crash Flight 93 into a field near the town of Shanksville, Pennsylvania. All 33 passengers and seven crew members on board perish. Passengers and crew had stormed the cockpit, and the plane ultimately crashes just 20 minutes’ flying time from Washington, D.C. • 10:15 a.m.: The E Ring of the Pentagon collapses.

• 10:28 a.m.: The North Tower collapses after burning for 102 minutes. More than 1,600 people are killed as a result of the attack on the North Tower. • 11:02 a.m.: New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani urges the evacuation of lower Manhattan.

• 12:16 p.m.: The last flight still in the air above the continental United States lands. Within two and a half hours, U.S. airspace has been cleared of roughly 4,500 commercial and general aviation planes.

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Jason Dunham volunteered for infantry shortly after 9/11

‘Big brother’ remembered for smile, selflessness

By Kathryn Ross Scio’s Medal of Honor recipient Jason Dunham was a little over a year out of high school when terrorists attacked the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and destroyed the tranquility of a rural Pennsylvania town on Sept. 11, 2001. Shortly afterwards, Dunham, who had been serving in the U.S. Marine Corps since graduating from Scio Central School in 2000, changed his PMOS (primary military occupation specialty) from security to infantry. When enlisting, his goal was to

become a state trooper after serving in the military, according to his counselors. After completing boot camp in October 2000, Dunham served as a security force sentry at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia. Before the end of 2003, he was part of combat operations and deployed in Iraq as part of Iraqi Freedom. At his funeral service in April 2004, following the heroic act that earned him the Medal of Honor, the minister described Dunham, “As a teenager, he put himself between a friend and an adversary to protect his buddy during

a fight. As a brother, he would warn his little sister to watch out for boys. As a man, he dreamed of becoming a state trooper — so long as work didn’t take him too far from home, where he could keep an eye on those he loved most.”

An eldest son from Scio

Dunham grew up in Scio, the eldest son of Dan Dunham and his wife, Deb, a high school teacher. It’s been written that Dunham was an “All-American boy,” an above-average student who participated in three

sports — basketball, baseball and wrestling. His teachers described him as friendly and likable with a “killer smile” that often got him out of trouble. They recalled he was a prankster. In an interview for the David Kniess documentary, “The Gift,” Dunham’s brother Kyle said his older brother, “Was the best big brother a kid could have. He was the kind of big brother a kid looks up to and wants to be like.” His brother Justin said, “Jason was a great athlete and I’m not. When I was

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Jason Dunham ...continued from page 12

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs At just 22, Jason Dunham was the “All-American boy” from Scio when he served in the Iraqi War on Terror after 9/11.

sitting on the bench he told me not to care about what other people thought about me and to just be myself.” Jason’s younger sister Katelyn said, “Jason would do anything for me, and he always looked out for me.” In 2003, when Dunham’s commanding officer, Capt. Trent Gibson, first saw Dunham when he joined Company K, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines at Twentynine Palms, California, he recalled recognizing Dunham’s leadership. “He was charismatic and full of energy. He was the kind of leader that other Marines want to emulate, the kind you want to follow,” Gibson said. Gibson, now a colonel, said that when he witnessed two members of Dunham’s squad bring the young corporal his supper one evening, while Dunham was writing orders, he knew the men respected Dunham. “Even though he was younger and lacked combat experience I could see that Dunham was special Olean Times Herald • The Bradford Era

to his men,” he said in an interview for the documentary. “They cared and they were taking care of him, the way he took care of them.” One squad member commented that Dunham got down in the dirt and worked with them instead of standing over them and watching. Also, from a Kniess interview, Dan Dunham said that after his son’s death a member of the squad told him that one day while on patrol Jason stopped to play soccer with some young boys. The squad formed a safety circle around him while he played with the children for 30 or so minutes. Jason always loved kids.”

Fateful day in Iraq

On April 14, 2004, Dunham was leading his squad on patrol near Husaybah, Iraq when his unit engaged insurgent forces driving a white Toyota Land Cruiser. He, along with squad members Billy Hampton and Kelly Miller,

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Remembering 9/11

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Jason Dunham approached the vehicle. Hampton and Miller were on either side of the vehicle when an insurgent leapt from the SUV and attacked Dunham. The two wrestled to the ground. When Dunham warned his men to “Watch his hands!” the insurgent released a grenade. Dunham reacted quickly, placing his Kevlar helmet over the armed grenade and covering it with his body just before the blast. After the incident, Trent recalled hearing the story about Dunham hypothesizing that a Kevlar helmet (Kevlar was also used to protect Humvees) would absorb the blast of a grenade. Gibson, who had

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collected shreds of Kevlar at the site of the incident, realized what Dunham had done. After repeating the story to a superior, he was instructed to start the Medal of Honor application process. In the blast both Hampton and Kelly were wounded, but in the feet. Dunham was grievously wounded and lying where he fell. The insurgent was unharmed and started to run away; he was shot and killed by a squad member. Dunham, Hampton and Miller were evacuated to a field hospital and later transferred to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. After assessment, Dunham was sent on to the National Naval

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Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He died there eight days after the incident in Iraq, without ever regaining consciousness. The Medal of Honor, the first awarded to a Marine for service in the Iraq War and the first to be awarded to a Marine since Vietnam, was presented by President George W. Bush to the Dunham family. The ceremony took place Jan. 11, 2007, at the White House.

Honoring Dunham’s sacrifice

In recognition of his valor, the U.S. Navy named an Arleigh Burkeclass guided missile

Remembering 9/11

destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109). Commissioned in 2010 and remaining in active service, the destroyer was the first of its class to be named in honor of a non-commissioned officer. Over the years, several books, movies and documentaries have been written and produced about Dunham. Several more honors have also been bestowed on him. The Scio Post Office was renamed in Dunham’s honor, and the Scio Memorial Library maintains a small museum dedicated to the All-American, hometown boy who made the greatest sacrifice for his country and his fellow Marines.

Olean Times Herald • The Bradford Era

Remembering the fallen

from McKean, Potter counties in War on Terror:

Maholic, Berrettini, VanGiesen, Franklin

By Marcie Schellhammer Freedom and security carries a heavy price. Over the past 20 years, three McKean County natives have made the ultimate sacrifice in the War on Terror while serving in the U.S. Army — two in the National Guard and one in the Green Berets. In 2006, Master Sgt. Thomas D. Maholic, 38, a Special Forces team sergeant assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), died June 24 in Kandahar Province, near Ghecko, Afghanistan, when he was fatally struck by enemy small arms fire during a cordon and search mission. Maholic, a native of Bradford, enlisted as an infantryman in 1991. His first assignment was with the Pennsylvania National Guard where he was an infantryman for five years. In July of 1991, he transitioned to active duty and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry Battalion at Fort Kobbe, Panama, where he served for two years. In 1993, he volunteered to become a Special Forces soldier. Maholic graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course in 1995 and was assigned to 1st Bn., 7th SFG, as a Olean Times Herald • The Bradford Era

Special Forces medical sergeant. In 2003, after serving more than seven years in 7th SFG, he was assigned to the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, N.C., where he served as an Advanced Noncommissioned Master Sgt. Officer Thomas D. Maholic Course instructor. In April 2005, Maholic was assigned to 2nd Bn., 7th SFG and served there as an Operational Detachment – Alpha team sergeant until his death. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal for valor, Bronze Star Medal for service, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal and Combat Infantryman Badge. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for conspicuous Gallantry in Action in Afghanistan on 24 June 2006, his order was signed on 14 April 2007. The Silver Star, awarded by President George W. Bush, stated that it was for “for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action … during combat operations in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, on 24 June 2006, at Pashmul, Kandahar, Af-

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Remembering 9/11

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Remembering the fallen ghanistan. Master Sergeant Maholics’s heroic actions defeated a Taliban attack, saved the lives of his comrades, and prevented the destruction of his team. His actions are in keeping with the highest traditions of military heroism and reflect distinct credit upon himself, the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan, Special Operations Command Central, and the United States Army.” • In 2008, Lt. Col. Richard J. Berrettini was the first Army nurse who died from injuries suffered in Afghanistan. Berrettini, 52, from Eldred, died Jan. 11, nine days after an attack which also killed an

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• On July 18, 2011, Staff service in the Navy and interpreter. On Jan. 2, 2008, he was returning the Army. He enlisted Sgt. Kenneth VanGfrom Khowst Province, in the Naval Reserve iesen, 30, a native of Afghanistan, where he in 1973 as an internal Kane, died in Ghazni provided humanitarian communication specialprovince, Afghanistan, care for villagers, when ist. In 1984, he joined of wounds suffered his vehicle was hit by an the Pennsylvania Army when enemy forces improvised explosive National Guard as attacked his device. an operating room supply connurse. The officer He died at Brooke voy with an completed his Army Medical Center improvised advanced practice in Texas. Berrettini had explosive degree as a Family been scheduled to return device. He home at the end of the Nurse Practitioner. was assigned month after a year in He was assigned Staff Sgt. to 131st Kenneth VanGiesen Afghanistan. A nurse to the PennsylvaTransportapractitioner, nia Army tion Compahe had National Guard ny, 213th Area Support volunteered Medical DetachGroup, Pennsylvania to serve in ment. For 14 National Guard, WilAfghanistan. years, in civilian liamstown because of life he worked as Berrettihis mechanical skills. a school nurse for ni’s career Lt. Col. the Port Allegany spanned Richard J. Berrettini 27 years of School District. ...continued on page 17

September 10, 2026

Remembering 9/11

Olean Times Herald • The Bradford Era

Remembering the fallen Also killed were Army Sgt. Edward W. Koehler and Army Sgt. Brian K. Mowery. All three men were riding in the same vehicle when the improvised explosive device detonated near Bagram, officials said. The other soldiers wounded did not sustain life-threatening injuries. According to the Guard, VanGiesen was on his fourth active-duty tour, having previously served in Germany from 2002 to 2003, in Iraq from 2005 to 2006 with the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team and 2009 with the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

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VanGiesen had joined Howze, Korea, before the Pennsylvania Nabeing deployed in Opertional Guard at age 18, ation Iraqi Freedom. right out of Kane high Franklin had joined the school. In his Guard Army to follow in the career, he served over footsteps of two uncles. 1,400 mobilized days in He volunteered to go overseas deployment, to Iraq and then took being one of only 16 on dangerous patrols to Pennsylvania National keep married men from Guardsmen to that date having to go. who had served that “One day he called and level of active duty. said, ‘Mom, I volun• Army Spc. Michael teered to go to Iraq,’” his Franklin, 22, of Coumother, Tina, shared. “I dersport, was probably could killed March 7, have stopped 2005, when a him, because car bomb detohe’s my son. nated near his But he’s a man, checkpoint in and he’s old Ramadi, Iraq. enough to make his own deciHe had been Spc. Michael Franklin based at Camp sions. He was

so excited about it.” In Iraq, Franklin prayed with his squad leader the night before the squad leader died. He was there for his fellow soldiers, said Brig. Gen. Michael J. Lally III. “He knew how to liven their spirits.” Franklin was also a spiritual man, but that didn’t stop him from being tough. On the football field, he was a force to be reckoned with. “He would go up against guys bigger than him and he would level them,” said Fletcher Brothers, the founder of a teen village in Lakemont, N.Y., where Franklin went to school.

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Remembering 9/11

September 10, 2026

Veterans Service Agency

seeing veteran needs, responses change post-9/11

By Kellen M. Quigley In the 25 years since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the U.S. veterans’ services have been fundamentally transformed as the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and military support

systems to accommodate a new generation of service members. Those who joined the military after 2001 never knew a Department of Defense structured the way it was before that day. From major policy and benefit changes to the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder, the VA has been assisting a new generation of military members who served during the past 25 years. Although he was not here in 2001, Steve E. McCord, Director of the Cattaraugus County Veterans Service Agency, said

September 10, 2026

he has seen the clientele change from predominately World War II, Korean and Vietnam veterans to those who served during the Gulf Wars and Global War on Terrorism. “While the number of personnel in the office has fluctuated over the years the primary focus and mission of the office has not changed,” he said. Since 2001, some of the most common needs the agency has seen from veterans are care for environmental exposures and treatment for the diseases the exposures cause. McCord said every conflict

Remembering 9/11

is a learning opportunity, and thus offers insights for the future veteran. “The VA drug their feet on admitting Agent Orange and the devastating affects it caused,” she said. “The veterans of the Global War on Terrorism have benefited by a quicker process in which conditions become presumptive.” When dealing with a shift in psychological and medical needs since 2001 compared to before, McCord said he believes the younger generation of

...continued on page 19

Olean Times Herald • The Bradford Era

Veterans Service Agency veterans has been quicker to trust the VA that the Vietnam-era veterans. “Why wouldn’t they? Their welcome home was vastly better,” he shared. “They never had the VA as the ‘big red brick building’ that you went to and sat forever at.”

Comparatively, McCord said there are more claims being submitted than ever before. He said the VA strives for a 125 day adjudication, but they rarely hit it. “One of the biggest steps forward is the ability to submit a claim electron-

Never Forget

...continued from page 18

ically,” he said. “This eliminates delays at the USPS and Regional Offices.” McCord encourages all veterans, regardless of when they served, to seek out a benefit review from an accredited Veteran Service Officer every two years.

“Laws change and even if you were previously denied new laws may render you eligible,” he added. For more information on the Cattaraugus County Veterans Service Agency, visit cattco.gov/ veterans-service-agency or call (716) 701-3298.

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Remembering 9/11

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Local police chiefs reflect on 9/11 Like much of the country, local first responders are looking back on the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Olean Police Chief Robert Blovsky had the day off that Tuesday morning 25 years ago, learning the new while at the gym. “I think like everyone

else I was trying to make sense of what was taking place and wondering how this could be an act of terrorism here in our country,” he said. “After this happened, I picked up my two boys from pre-k and brought them home.” The event caused a shift

in training afterward. “As a first responder it meant that we needed to change our ways of protecting our own areas and train to try to prevent these attacks and make sure we know how to respond properly along with our other local, state and federal law enforcement,” Blovsky said. “I have been in investigations most of my career and it did not change my career path, but it added another layer of training. “I made sure I kept that day in my mind and that attempts could be made again anywhere and at any time,” he added. “Some officers from different departments were assigned to terrorism task force details and the focus went mostly to that.” More importantly,

Blovsky said the response from first responders was inspiring. “Watching the fireman and police running towards the Towers should very simply spell out what a first responder is made of,” Blovsky said. BRADFORD CITY Police Chief Mike Ward was 22 and a new officer at the Foster Township Police Department and the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Campus Police. “I remember being at my apartment when the news first came across the television,” he said. “Like so many Americans, I watched in disbelief as the events unfolded. At first, there was confusion about what was happening, but then came the realization that this was not an accident — our country was under attack.

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Remembering 9/11

Olean Times Herald • The Bradford Era

Local Police Chiefs ...continued from page 20

“I remember feeling fear and anger, but I also remember an overwhelming sense of pride in our country and patriotism. There was so much uncertainty. No one knew whether the attacks were over, what might happen next, or where it might happen.” He was called into work at Pitt-Bradford shortly after the attacks began. “The students were understandably alarmed, as everyone was, and there was concern about whether additional attacks could occur,” he said. “Admittedly, I don’t think any of us really knew what to expect or exactly what we should be preparing for. We knew that we needed to get to work, be ready for whatever might come, and do

everything we could to help people feel safe during an incredibly uncertain time.” Ward said the events shaped his view on public service. “For a 22-year-old police officer just beginning his career, it changed the way I looked at service, public safety and the responsibility that comes with wearing the badge,” Ward said, encouraging readers to remember those who died that day, from those working in the towers to first responders. “We should also remember how, in the days that followed, Americans came together with an incredible sense of unity and patriotism,” Ward said. “More than two decades later, I still believe there is an important lesson in that.”

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Fr. Mychal Judge

became unifying figure after his death

In the days leading up to the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Franciscan friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe joined millions of Americans in remembering the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives that day. They also pray for the families, first responders and survivors whose lives were forever changed. Among those killed on Sept. 11 was the friars’ brother, Father Mychal Judge, OFM, beloved Franciscan priest and Fire Department of New York chaplain, who became the first recorded victim of the attacks.

File photo

Father Mychal Judge, who served as chaplain of the Fire Department of New York and died at the scene of the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001.

A native New Yorker, Judge was a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and served as FDNY chaplain from 1992 until his death. Known for his compassionate ministry among firefighters, first responders, the homeless and those living with addiction or illness, he was administering last rites to a fallen fighter when he was killed at the World Trade Center by falling debris. He was 68. His life and witness continue to inspire people around the world. Several events will be held in New York City

...continued on page 23

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Remembering 9/11

Olean Times Herald • The Bradford Era

Fr. Mychal Judge

...continued from page 22

TNS A grieving firefighter is comforted by a Franciscan friar during the funeral of Father Mychal Judge at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Manhattan on Sept. 15, 2001.

honoring judge’s legacy and the memory of all who died that day. The annual Father Mychal Judge Walk of Remembrance in New York City traces the route that Judge took from St. Francis of Assisi Friary to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. Along the route, participants pause and pray at fire stations and New York Police Department and Port Authority Police Department precincts. A musical presenta-

tion that tells the story of Judge’s life — from his humble beginnings to his ministry as FDNY chaplain — was performed Sept. 9 at St. Joseph Church in East Rutherford, N.J. and Sept. 10 at Riverside Church in New York. Mychal’s Message held an annual Blessed Bloomers distribution Sept. 6 at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, providing new socks and underwear to people experiencing homelessness while honoring Judge and all who served at Ground Zero,

including clergy, emergency personnel, firefighters, police officers and volunteers. The nonprofit organization, founded in Fr. Mychal’s memory, continues his legacy of compassionate service to those who are homeless, hungry, poor or forgotten. “Remembering Judge,” a 30-minute FDNY documentary about the priest’s life and legacy will premiere Sept. 26 at the 9/11 Museum, while in August the Church of St. Francis of Assisi unveiled a redesigned 9/11 memorial alcove dedicated to victims of the attack. It includes Judge’s FDNY dress helmet, a Franciscan Tau cross, steel recovered from the World Trade Center, “Brotherhood 9/11,” a sculpture by retired firefighter and artist Dennis Burke. In the years since 9/11 some of his many admirers pointed to Judge — a gay man who devoted himself to serving vulnerable populations — as a reason for the U.S. Catholic Church to be more welcoming to LGBTQ people. Some even argued vigorously that

he should be considered for sainthood — though Judge’s own religious order did not embrace that cause. He was one of three Bonaventure graduates who died in the attacks on the towers — Rob Peraza, an undergraduate in 1994 and a master’s graduate in 1996, and Amy O’Doherty, class of 2000, also perished that day. The son of Irish immigrants, Judge grew up in Brooklyn and decided while still in his teens to join the Franciscan religious order. He was ordained as a priest in 1961, battled alcoholism with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous and developed a passion for ministering to marginalized communities. After serving in localities across the Northeast, Judge became a pastor at St. Francis of Assisi Church in New York City in 1986. At a peak in the AIDS crisis in 1989, he founded one of the first Catholic HIV/AIDS ministries, recruiting a handful of volunteers to visit hospitalized patients and their families.

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Remembering 9/11

September 10, 2026

25 Years Later, We Remember

9.11.01 We Will Never Forget.

September 10, 2026

Remembering 9/11

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